6 Ups And 7 Downs From WWE Clash Of Champions 2016
1. A Limp Universal Champion
On its own, Kevin Owens becoming WWE Universal Champion was a hugely cathartic moment. His coronation felt like a long-overdue reward for all the years he'd spent grinding through the independent circuit to get to where he is today. From ROH and PWG to NXT and now the main roster, Owens has proven himself as one of the world's very best, and the title win was his recognition.
Sadly, Owens' reign has been tainted from day one. It doesn't help that the Universal Title is a brand new belt completely devoid of legacy and lineage, but KO wouldn't have captured it without Triple H's involvement, and was presented as a lucky champion from the moment the belt was placed on his shoulder.
The Prizefighter lost a cage match to Rusev on last week's Raw, further compounding his lowly status as Universal Champion. Then, at Clash of Champions, he was only able to put Seth Rollins away after a lengthy (and unnecessary) Chris Jericho interference, though the rumoured Triple H appearance failed to materialise.
Kevin Owens' booking as Universal Champion has been nothing short of terrible. At a time when WWE desperately need to build the belt's credibility, their writers are running both it and their champion into the ground. As it stands, Owens comes off weak at best, and completely pathetic at worst. Though many expected him to retain last night, the manner of Owens' victory dealt significant damage to him, the belt, and the product as a whole.
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